Wednesday, June 30, 2010

There is an awesome farmers market down town! It reminds me of the one in Montrose or Seattle. Although they don't throw fish here, there is still a lot to see and do. I love connecting with local farmers who grow various organic foods; vegetables, cheeses, honey and even plants!On this trip we took our nephew with us, to give my sister-in-law a chance to sleep in a bit after a long week.

With my trusty TJ bag and nephew in toe, we were ready to find some herbs for the garden and other little goodies.

This "sno cups" cart reminded me of the food carts in downtown LA...

Here we are picking out some plants for "Aunt Julie's Garden"...

I found some parsley!!!

After finding some plants for the garden, we decided to stop for a tasty treat at the... CANDY SHOP!!! :)

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Spencer has recently taken up a new hobby... roasting his own coffee. (Buying green beans are almost half the cost as buying already roasted beans, and they last up to a year. Once you roast them they last about a week, but are fresher then store bought.)

He wanted to share the first roasting experience with the O'Neals when we were over there last. Here's a few snap shots from the day...

All you need is an popcorn popper (that has slits in the inside to circulate the air), cardboard or metal tube (that sits in popcorn popper opening), metal strainer or stock pot, and a wooden spoon.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

I love to garden... so I've tried to maximize our back patio/deck to grow as many plants as possible. For those of you who haven't seen our patio... it's small... you can fit 2 folding chairs and a t.v. tray back there comfortably. Here's the garden as of today....

The pinto beans that went to seed when I soaked them in water to prepare for the next nights dinner, but wasn't able to get to them in time before they sprouted. I just decided to plant them instead of tossing them out... well see how they turn out... I've never seen what a pinto bean looks like as a pod. (this is like day 7 or so from when I first soaked the beans)

Blueberries... yes, I actually grew blueberries!!! and they are delicious! I read online that the first year is the most crucial though... so I'm not sure if they will last until next year since we don't have any ground to plant them in. I'm hoping they will do good as house plants over the winter.